It is the final night of NBA play-ins, as the Cavaliers host the Hawks, and the Clippers host the Pelicans in must-win games. We just got the news that Paul George is being added to the health and safety protocols, which means the Clippers are going to be our best source of DFS value. We are looking at more of a balanced lineup tonight, as we have some fantastic plays in the $5,000 – $8,000 range.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 4/15/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | R. Jackson | $6,100 | |
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | M. Morris | $5,000 | |
| Power Forward | |||
| Center | |||
| Guard | |||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
At $6,100, Reggie Jackson was one of the best plays on this slate before we found out that George was sidelined. With the news that George is out, Jackson is easily the best option tonight. If you are playing Cash games Jackson is an absolute lock, and he is a massive priority for tournaments as well. We expect him to be on the floor for around 40 minutes in a close game, and he will have to do everything for this team offensively.
Like Jackson, Marcus Morris would be solid with everyone healthy on the Clippers. He is coming in at a fantastic price tag of $5,000 tonight, and we know he will play massive minutes. Morris was not very productive in the first play-in but he showed his absolute floor with peripheral stats. He should take on some solid usage with George out, so he is another priority here.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 4/15/22 (using DraftKings Values)
We really liked getting to Kevin Love for the first play-in, but we are getting away from the Cleveland frontcourt tonight with the return of Jarrett Allen. We do not know what Loves’ minutes are going to look like with Allen back in the rotation, but it cannot be good news.
Here Is What Your Get If You Subscribe For $15 Per Month or $99 For The Year…
• One star guard who is way too cheap.
• A cheap priority from the Clippers.
• Two cheap wings we expect to see some huge floor time.
• Some general strategy Cash games and Tournaments tonight.
Point Guard
Darius Garland – ($8,500 DK) Garland was our fade last night, and his 45.25 FPTS proved that $9,600 was a bit too much for him. However, Garland has been priced down significantly and is only $8,500 for tonight. Garland saw 39 minutes and 24 shot attempts last time, so he is too cheap at this price. He has a ton of upside, and we know he will take on a massive role again in tonight’s do-or-die game.
Shooting Guard
Norman Powell – ($5,300 DK) Powell played 27 minutes for the Clipper’s last game, and he looked good while he was out there. With George out the Clippers will likely have to look to Powell for scoring, and he should see a very nice minutes boost. Powell is likely to replace George in the starting unit, but he looks fantastic here either way.
Brandon Ingram – ($7,800 DK) Ingram looks great here, and it is prices like this that are pushing us towards a midrange lineup tonight. We saw Ingram deal with some foul trouble in the last game, which restricted him to 30 minutes. We expect to play more than that in competitive games, and his upside is fantastic at $7,800. He took on a lot of usage last game, which we expect to see again with more time on the floor.
Herbert Jones – ($4,800 DK) Jones played a ton of minutes in the first play-in, and we expect to see the same thing tonight against the Clippers. Jones went for 30.75 FPTS in 37 minutes, so he looks good here at this price. We do have a lot of value options with the George news, but Jones is a great way to get away from the Clippers.
Center
Jonas Valanciunas – ($8,000 DK) Valanciunas was a tournament priority for us last time, as he is always productive in the playoffs. Valanciunas was great with 50 FPTS, and he was priced down $600. Valanciunas is going to be higher owned than he was last time, but people will still be more focused on the cheap Clippers and the star guards.
General strategy
This is a very straightforward slate for Cash games, as all you do is surround any of these star guards with value plays from the Clippers. For tournaments, things are a bit more complicated, as we need to find a way to get different from the field with only two games. We are still going to get to Jackson a ton in GPPs, but we are going to keep it to two or three Clippers maximum. Valanciunas, Caris LeVert, and Clint Capela are all tournament priorities for us as they have a ton of upside and should not be too high owned here.
